The Ministry of Education is to draft guidelines for universities when engaging in student exchanges with Chinese universities to ensure academic freedom, equality and reciprocity, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said yesterday.
Taiwanese universities were discovered to have signed letters for Chinese universities saying that they would not teach subjects that criticize or reject the “one China” policy. In some Chinese provinces, students are required to obtain the letter before their plans to study in Taiwan could be approved.
Shih Hsin University reportedly admitted 11 students from China for the February to June semester.
Pan said the ministry would talk with authorities to establish principles by which cross-strait educational exchanges can continue without concerns over sovereignty or academic freedom.
Local universities have made a wide range of promises, Pan said, adding that the ministry would investigate over the next two weeks.
While it has been rumored that universities that signed such letters would be punished, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) asked the ministry not to “randomly accuse universities of the practice.”
“It is simply a pledge, not a commitment to ‘one China’,” Wang said, urging the ministry to respect universities’ professionalism and refrain from placing them under unnecessary pressure.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said that as such pledges agree not to discuss “one China” topics, they should also agree not to talk about unification or the so-called “1992 consensus.”
“What if China wants universities to sign a pledge saying that the Republic of China is not an independent sovereign nation?” Lee said, adding that such pledges must be properly regulated.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
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